Ending your council tenancy

Give notice

If you are a Camden Council tenant you need to give us at least 4 weeks notice in writing that you wish to end your tenancy and it must end on a Monday. 

If you don’t, then we will need to charge you damages which would be equivalent to four weeks full rent from the day you told us you were moving.  The only exceptions to this are when you are transferring from a Camden Council tenancy to another Camden Council tenancy or to a Housing Association tenancy.  

Clear your belongings

When you are moving out you need to make sure that your home is left empty of your belongings and rubbish and left in a clean and tidy condition.  This includes your garden.  

If there are items of furniture or white goods in good condition that you don't want, there is a furniture recycling organisation, who we work in partnership with, who will collect them free of charge. If the items aren't in good condition, you may also be entitled to a free collection. Organisations such as Freegle, Freecycle and others can help you pass unwanted belongings on to other people who may want them and local charity shops may also take them from you.

What to do if a tenant dies

If a tenant dies, you will need to inform your neighbourhood housing officer. They will need the following information:

• details of the executor or next of kin
• a copy of the death certificate
• when you think the keys to the home will be handed back to us

We may already have been made aware of the death by the Tell Us Once service if you used this but will still need the information above.  This is also the time when you need to tell us if there is anyone who wants to succeed to the tenancy.  

You will need to arrange for all the tenant’s belongings and furniture to be removed, after which all keys should be returned to the neighbourhood housing officer.

You should do this as quickly as possible otherwise we are legally required to serve a notice to quit. If, for any reason, you are unable to do this contact your neighbourhood housing officer.

If you have been living with the tenant you might have a right to succeed to the tenancy.  Talk to the housing officer for your address as soon as possible if you think this might apply to you.

Returning your keys

You will need to hand in your keys to us by midday on Monday when you move, this includes the main door keys to your block or house, window keys, shed keys and garage keys. If the keys are not returned, we can continue to charge you rent for another week or another four weeks if you hadn’t told us you were leaving.

We will ask you to sign a notice of vacation form when you hand the keys in. This confirms the day and time we got the keys. You will be given a copy of this which you should keep safe as it is your evidence of you handing in your keys if it is needed in future.

You can also return keys by post if you wish using the notice of vacation form (PDF)which should be addressed to your neighbourhood housing officer with your forwarding address. Bear in mind that we will only end your tenancy from the day we receive the keys (or four weeks after if we hadn’t been given notice) not the day you sent the letter.

For more information check your Conditions of Tenancy. We have also produced some useful leaflets to help, advice to tenants moving home (PDF) which explains your obligations to us and moving home to-do list (PDF) which is a checklist you can use as a reminder of all the different things you might need to consider.